By ANTONIO L. COLINA IV
DAVAO CITY – An official of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) assured that the recent Marawi City siege will not put a damper on the region’s aim of claiming economic growth.
MinDA executive deputy director Romeo Montenegro told reporters that the five-month armed conflict between government forces and Islamic State-inspired Maute Group was seen as just a temporary setback.
“There was a temporary setback in terms of overall perception of Mindanao due to peace and security particularly in Lanao del Sur and Marawi. Mindanao has not been generally affected in terms of investments and production output,” he said.
Montenegro noted that Mindanao’s growth recently was propelled by rapid growth in industry and services sectors.
Although the confidence level of major investors was affected during the onset of the Marawi siege, Montenegro said it did not “necessarily translate to the withdrawal” of planned investments that would have decelerated Mindanao’s growth.
“The Marawi and the areas in Lanao del Sur are not necessarily a major production area particularly in agriculture sector. The significant reduction of it did not create much of an effect. We have not seen this much impact in terms of output,” he said.
Montenegro added they believe Mindanao is getting “back on track” as it is able to generate interest again from foreign and domestic investors, following the end of the five-month long fighting in Marawi.
He added they see a resurgence of visitors planning to invest in Mindanao.
Aside from industry and services sector, Montenegro added the construction sector will continue to be a major contributor to the growth of Mindanao, owing to a better power situation on the island.
“Our agricultural performance in spite of challenges in global fronts had been able to demonstrate positive performance. Our agricultural exports continue to perform strongly in Mindanao,” said Montenegro.